Development Cycle Archive
Thread: In Develepment #2004-1: Changes to the Official Forum Take 2
"If we have more focused forums to post on, where threads that don't fit the focus of the forums, more productive idea could get a chance to be heard."
Oops.
I meant:
"If we have more focused forums to post on, where threads that don't fit the focus of the forums get locked or outright deleted, more productive idea could get a chance to be heard."
Ive reposted this since yesterdays ironic deletion of a thread where people were generally arguing not to delete something.....I was in the first page last time and had a chance of being read too !
First off the goal of improving the player to developer communication stream is a good one.
I agree with the great majority of your proposals bar one.
Keep the General Discussion Forum. It is a node in the middle of things for all of us. I go there for general stuff and then try to go to what I think is the appropriate specific forum when required.
However I empathise with your problem and intention. So can I suggest that the General Discussion Forum be kept but that other than moderation for abuse is NOT a contact with the DEV team. IE you and the other csr/contact/developer types dont reply to anything in it.
Leave it as a nexus for the players but make it clear its not a mechanic to communicate to SoE.
Thus we get the benefit of player to team focus as discussed in your proposal and the benefit of a generic lobby for discussion, questions, ranting etc etc
Be Well and Keep up the Good Work, Bob'the Builder
One more repost from me and then I will shut up 
I wrote this:
http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/content.jsp?page=In%20Development
It's interesting that that page seems to condradicts itself.
It says new threads pertaining to the future of the game as a whole will only be started by the devs.
That shuts down new ideas that don't relate to any of those threads.
And then the bottom half of the page talks about new combat droids.
I don't think combat droids would have even been considered as a game feature if the devs hadn't seen many posts on this forum requesting them.
However, they did say this:
"5. The Game Guides, Galactic Civil War, Events, Professions, Galaxy Trade, Server Galaxies, Tech Support, and "Other" forums will remain in tact and function as they exist in their current form.
That means we will be able to continue to create threads on those forums.
What they really are trying to do is focus the topics.
They have stated before that they are ovewhelmed with the volume in the discussion forum, and they have a lot of trouble find the good ideas that are on there.
Let's face it. A lot of the stuff discussed here isn't all that important, and a lot of good ideas get burried.
I agree with focusing the discussion, but I strongly think there need to be communal areas for everybody to be able to create threads.
Maybe they should create more forums, not less.
One should be an idea forum.
Only suggestions for big new features and changes to features should go in there.
But it shouldbe like the profession forums. Anyone can create any thread pertaining to new big ideas for the game, but only devs/mods/correspondents can sticky.
One forum should be for more concrete changes.
This would be stuff like suggestions to fix the user interface, stuff about increasing house storage capacity, inventory management, etc.
Anything not directly related to the overall theme of a specific forum should be locked.
There should still be a general forum where anyone can post anything they want related to the game. This forum is this game's water cooler. We need to have a communal space.
The SWG Discussion forum should remain as it is now.
But because this forum is such a free-for-all, the devs should not be expected to read every thread here. There's just too much volume.
With more specific forums, people will focus their threads and others will no where to find them.
The main idea the devs have is to improve communication.
That would eliminate a lot of the negative threads here if they really follow through with that.
But the devs should not have total control over the new ideas that get into the game.
Its hard to communicate when only one of the parties can start a conversation.
I bet there would be A LOT of stuff that that would not fit into the narrow thread topics the devs come up with.
I do not want this to become like the narrow categories on /bug reports.
For example:
There's a bug topic called "mounts/vehicles."
It has a pull down menu with only one option: mounts.
What if you have a vehicle bug to report?
How do you know how to direct that?
For my vehicle bugs, I've filed it under mounts and started my reports saying "once again, this is not a mount issue, but a vehicle issue."
A place where people can talk about the game as a whole is still needed.
The proposal says profession forums will remain.
But where would you post something about how various professions relate to each other?
Splintering everything off and compartmentalizing everything could be damaging to the game in the long run, if there is no place for us to post things about the game's central core.
R2DADROID wrote:
"If we have more focused forums to post on, where threads that don't fit the focus of the forums, more productive idea could get a chance to be heard."
Oops.
I meant:
"If we have more focused forums to post on, where threads that don't fit the focus of the forums get locked or outright deleted, more productive idea could get a chance to be heard."
How would that happen if the only people who are able to create the threads are the Devs?
Players need a place to start threads with their general game ideas in a place that the community at large can read them. Many ideas affect more than just one class or system, and seem really off topic to me in the server forums. SWG Discussion has a lot of whining, negativity, and unconstructive discussions, but I feel that a tighter scope on a similar forum (or as some have suggested, several similar forums devoted to new ideas, changes, or general issues) could let everyone have a place to post their general game ideas in a constructive and on-topic way. Heavier, more diligent moderation on these new boards would keep everyone on topic.
Without a general forum, you will also hear about game-breaking bugs slower. If a huge vendor bug comes back, we can whine about it in the Merchant and server forums, but are you telling me you'd have caught those fragmented posts as quickly as the many threads made about the last vendor problem in SWG Discussion? Sure we can all put in our bug reports as usual, but processing bug reports will take you time, and it often seems like we can put together patterns on the boards much quicker ourselves and notify you better about the specific problems.
Please don't relegate our posting of our own threads to server and profession boards. If you feel you need to get rid of SWG Discussion and have a clean start, fine. But give us a new forum or two with tighter rules for us to start our own posts in. I've played this game since Beta 3, and this is the first time I've been really disappointed in your attempts to improve communication. By fragmenting our communication with each other, you will be hurting our ability to get together and produce the new ideas you seem to want from us.
Ok THIS is the last time now and I MEAN it 
I wrote:
"If we have more focused forums to post on, where threads that don't fit the focus of the forums get locked or outright deleted, more productive idea could get a chance to be heard."
dnm998replied
"How would that happen if the only people who are able to create the threads are the Devs?"
Earlier on thisthread I wrote this:
Forum 1:
Player Suggested Big Picture/ Idea Wish List Forum
- A forum where people can create threads about what they'd like to see in the game.
Forum 2:
Player Suggested Changes to Current Features
A forum where people can create threads about things that are in the game that they'd like changed.
Forum 3
Cantina
- A forum that is more of a free-for-all.
This forum would act as the game's water cooler.
donnah42 wrote:
I'm afraid that without a general discussion forum you'll see the in concept and in development threads constantly hijacked by those wanting dev attention to an issue that isn't really on topic in any of the other boards. Also diverting general discussion to the server forums will be really annoying to those of us who use the server boards for what I thought they were intended for, that is server specific discussion.
Players need a place to start threads with their general game ideas in a place that the community at large can read them. Many ideas affect more than just one class or system, and seem really off topic to me in the server forums. SWG Discussion has a lot of whining, negativity, and unconstructive discussions, but I feel that a tighter scope on a similar forum (or as some have suggested, several similar forums devoted to new ideas, changes, or general issues) could let everyone have a place to post their general game ideas in a constructive and on-topic way. Heavier, more diligent moderation on these new boards would keep everyone on topic.
Without a general forum, you will also hear about game-breaking bugs slower. If a huge vendor bug comes back, we can whine about it in the Merchant and server forums, but are you telling me you'd have caught those fragmented posts as quickly as the many threads made about the last vendor problem in SWG Discussion? Sure we can all put in our bug reports as usual, but processing bug reports will take you time, and it often seems like we can put together patterns on the boards much quicker ourselves and notify you better about the specific problems.
Please don't relegate our posting of our own threads to server and profession boards. If you feel you need to get rid of SWG Discussion and have a clean start, fine. But give us a new forum or two with tighter rules for us to start our own posts in. I've played this game since Beta 3, and this is the first time I've been really disappointed in your attempts to improve communication. By fragmenting our communication with each other, you will be hurting our ability to get together and produce the new ideas you seem to want from us.
Bingo baby!!! Thread hijacking is going to be the next big thing here on these boards! First off, where is the increased level of communication, this thread is already 4 pages long and not a single reply from a Dev dealing with our concerns!! NOT ONE!
I for one stated I'd love to give this new system a shot, but come on Devs you cant start threads such as this one watch it grow to 4 pages in a matter of hours and NOT FREAKIN RESPOND TO IT!!?? Were voicing our concerns here, talk to us!
So, are the Devs just blowing smoke up are arses? Will we see more effective communication? The sad truth is I got spoiled during beta when communication was very active. Now all we seem to get is smoke and mirrors. 
VolatileMan
R2DADROID wrote:
Ok THIS is the last time now and I MEAN it
I wrote:
"If we have more focused forums to post on, where threads that don't fit the focus of the forums get locked or outright deleted, more productive idea could get a chance to be heard."
dnm998replied
"How would that happen if the only people who are able to create the threads are the Devs?"
Earlier on thisthread I wrote this:
Forum 1:
Player Suggested Big Picture/ Idea Wish List Forum
- A forum where people can create threads about what they'd like to see in the game.
Forum 2:
Player Suggested Changes to Current Features
A forum where people can create threads about things that are in the game that they'd like changed.
Forum 3
Cantina
- A forum that is more of a free-for-all.
This forum would act as the game's water cooler.
Don't make it the last time. I actually like this talking with you.
Anyway;
That'd be good, except those are what you'd like, not what the Devs are going to implement.
Soooo.. in order to "improve" communication.. you want to eliminate the Development forum.. and expect people to take their ideas only to their server discussion..
But then other players on other servers will likely miss those topics.. as likely.. will the devs.. And good ideas go lost.. afterall.. a great idea on the artisan forum may be championed by the merchants.. if they saw it.. So you expect us players to now take care of the communication gap.. and check all forums for ideas.. and talk to each other..
In the meantime.. the galaxy and profession forums start to get some of the craziness.. that the development forum gets.. And people stop checking them.
But you will make forums for us to creatively approve of or enhance your ideas.
Thats just peachy... demented and sad.. but peachy.
..yeah.. I am killing my second account now... And the clock may be on this one.
Consider this ANOTHER topic.. where the fans will tell you now.. it will make things worse for us!.. and you can ignore it.. until it does.
- BloodfinGlobal Issues Demand Global Communication: Keep the Discussion Boards
Yes this is another comment about what appears to be the no longer proposed and now scheduled changes to the forums. Please do not do this. There are issues in this game which people from all servers need to discuss. Shunting the communication to provide focus is not an effective way to comminicate with your customers.
The Discussion forum is a tool. Some times it has been abused by people with an agenda or an axe to grind but that does not make it any less useful. By putting these changes into affect you're limiting alot of cross server chatter. Some less enlightened folks might even allege that you're hiding something. I don't beleive that tis is the case. This really seems like it's a great idea on paper but it's going to disenfranchise alot of people that want honest global discussions about the condition of the game and the direction it's headed.
I'm asking and hoping that someone responds to this. It's a bad idea and in the end you're going to wind up hurting yourself. The only solution to poor communication is more communication just as the only solution to bad speech is more speech. Do not diminish what you have here by adopting this divide and win over mentaility that might make things easier but will not make them better. Please leave the discussion forum as is.
How about changing the shuttle Wait time to 5 minutes instaed of !0 TH? I think I wait for shuttles 10 per hour played in average and some does more often. Now to go to Mos Benzin (On Tarquinas) If i am in Mos Entha i dont bother taking the shuttle i always take my Land Speeder becaus im always late for the shuttle and how about having 1 starport on each starting planet that you dont have to wait like Theed? that would be nice to have that on tatoine.
It will reduced the amount of ppl in theed because everyone travels there because theres no wait time. That cause a huge lag over in that city.
I think we can give Theed the Busiest city of SWG!